A Rosebud In The Snow
by xdreamaddictx
Summary: Mai Kimiko, from sand, joins Team Kakashi. This mission will not be easy, but lots of action and love is guaranteed. Recent storyline, but with a twist more action, love and adventure. suggest pairings! NaruxHina? Maix? yaoi? will cancel if no reviews.
1. The Chakra Tightrope

**Me:** Heyy everyone! I'm xDreamaddictx, and this is Mai Kimiko, my own naruto character.

**Mai:** Hello. This is my story, starting from when I came to Konoha.

**Me: **Yeah. So just sit back, relax, read, and watch the story unfold.

**Mai: **No! Wait a sec. We forgot about the disclaimer!

**Me: **Ohh yeah... Ready?

**Mai: **Of course I am! _**(offended)**_

**Me: **Right... _**(Clears throat)**_

**Mai & Me**: We do not own Naruto or any of their characters.

**Me: **But I totally own Mai.

**Mai: **WHAT? You do not! I own myself!

**_(bickering continues)_**

* * *

Mai Kimiko made her way through the small streets of Konoha, strolling, deep in thought. The sky was a blood red, as the sun was setting over the cliffs that portrayed the greatest ever Hokage. Tsunade was the latest addition to the huge faces, and Mai was slightly awed by how well they managed to capture her grumpy, strong, yet proud and intelligent form. It was Mai's first ever time in Konoha, you see, as she was sent here from the Hidden Village of Sand as one of the best young ninja. Something about gaining more experience in the world… the exact reason slipped her mind. But the security in this place sure needed some working on. She basically got in without causing even much of a fuss. She needed to report this to Tsunade, as well as why she's here. 

Mai breathed a heavy sigh. All she really wanted to do right now was to go to sleep, mainly because the journey had been very long and tiring. The fact that she was told to depart as soon as she got back from her last mission didn't help, either. She shuffled towards Tsunade's office, but when it came into view she had to heave another sigh. There were two more guards at the entrance. It was quite a bother, as although the last couple didn't give her many problems, they did nearly catch her. She had to use her ninjutsu to create a little cat that jumped out of the bushes and made their 'oh-so-highly-skilled' nin-dogs chase after it. Another thing that Mai couldn't stand was a poorly skilled dog. Instead of getting violent ugly Rottweilers, they could have beautiful and intelligent Labradors or Retrievers. They can also help stop criminals as they have awesome teeth, and they could train them to be guide dogs for the disabled and blind. You'd be killing like fifteen birds with one stone. Seriously.

She crept up around the building, since it wasn't exactly square. 'hmm… having round buildings is quite a good idea… it gives the guards more view, and intruders no corners to hide behind.' She glanced at the guards, who were busy discussing how great 'Ichiraku's Ramen' was. She rolled her eyes. It was nice to have a good atmosphere in the work place, but this kinda took the piss. She looked up the building, and just as she predicted; there was a balcony there. She placed her hand on the smooth wall, but although it was slightly curved, it wasn't impossible to walk up. And the paint seemed to be firmly stuck to it. 'Lucky!' She grinned, happy at the opportunity to use simple techniques instead of thinking up millions of scenarios and plans.

But first, she had to make sure nothing was going to ruin it. She looked at her long hair, which carelessly fluttered in the wind. It had caused her many problems, but she refused to cut it off. She felt naked without it. She drew a small circle in the air with her forefinger, and a thin thread of chakra formed, and its ends met, causing them to merge together. She slipped it onto her hand and proceeded in tying her hair up in a neat ponytail. She was also wearing a skirt, which unfortunately wasn't short enough to allow her to move comfortably in combat situations, as it was right down to her knees. But that was no problem. She hated wearing shorts and trousers; it was just not her style. She preferred to look more feminine, and it always made the enemy underestimate her. Her skirt was held together along the bottom with a thread of chakra. She released it, and the black skirt fanned out in the breeze.

As you have probably guessed by now, her specialty was using chakra threads. It was the ultimate skill, really. It always came in useful. She was quite lazy, and preferred to be able to summon things rather than actually get up and go to get them. In the sand country, she was quite famous for them. Kankuro was a master puppeteer, and their skill with chakra threads was comparable. Actually, she would go as far as saying that she was better. She could make chakra threads that would never snap, no matter how much weight was put on them, and what's more, she could maintain control of her chakra threads the whole way down them. But she hated puppets. She could never bring herself to use them, and that was probably because she was terrified of them when she was little. I mean, have YOU seen Kankuro's puppets? They should be burnt. The amount of kids they frighten! No wonder Kankuro's practically the only one to use them. Her specialty lay somewhere else.

Now that she was prepared, she formed her hand seal, and focused chakra to the bottom of her feet. Then she casually walked up the wall, and over the guards. It was just as she predicted; round walls were quite hard to walk up. Her foot slipped once or twice, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. She decided to use her chakra threads to help her up. Without much thought, she released some threads from the fingertips of her right hand and made them entwine in mid air, loop securely around a column on the balcony, and come back down into her hand. Now all she had to do was swallow portions of the chakra back, and it would pull her up itself. No need for energy wastage.

Then, disaster struck. As she was hanging just above the guards, she totally forgot about the pocket she opened in her little pack before, when she took out a kunai against the guards at the gate just in case. She saw a shuriken slip out of her bag, and begin falling straight down- and typically, the guard stood right underneath it. She watched the blades spin around in mid-air, reflecting the setting sunlight, and began to panic.

Through her mind flashed the images of the shuriken falling and hitting him on the head… blood pouring over his eyes as he kneels over on the floor… the other guard looks up and sees her just hanging there… Tsunade-sama jumps out over the balcony, her huge breasts blocking out the sunlight and she lands, fist down on Mai's face…. A little squeak escaped her tight throat, as she watched the shuriken fall, almost in slow motion. She realised she needed to do something, but her mind was blank, and beads of swear appeared on her forehead.

_CHAKRA THREADS!!! _She thought. Releasing more chakra from her hand, she extended her chakra rope, and made it drop her down sharply. At the same time, she bent forward and released a thin chakra thread out of her other hand. Concentrating so hard it almost hurt, she willed the chakra thread to catch up with the shuriken. The shuriken fell, with the thread chasing behind, gaining on it… _It's too late; the tread won't make it in time!_ Thought Mai desperately; already planning her escape, but the thread finally attached itself onto the shuriken. If the thread had taken one millisecond longer, it would have been too late. The shuriken was now hanging about a centimetre above the guard's head.

_Thank god!_ She thought, gulping down air after realising she had been holding her breath for what seemed like years, now. _Okay. I'm all rig__ht. Lets continue. _She started to reel the shuriken back in, still shaking slightly. She felt her foot slip on the wall. She was loosing her grip… and it was probably because of the awkward position she was hanging in… So she forced the chakra to zoom into her hand. The shuriken flew towards her, and the sharp blade cut into her hand. 'Damn!' She hissed, as her scarlet blood seeped through her skin; a visual representation of the stinging pain she was experiencing. She formed a protective layer of chakra on her hand. It would be bad for the oozing blood to drop on the guard's head, especially after all that trouble she went to. Still holding the shuriken in hand, she made her rope of entwined chakra pull her up, and finally managed to scramble onto the balcony.

Right in front of her was the door leading to Tsunade's office. She could see her sitting in front of the desk, through the window next to the door. Mai crouched on the ground, and sighing softly she put the shuriken back in her bag, and closed it firmly. She put her hand on the floor, her nails grinding into the wooden brown surface.

_Damn it!_ She thought. _that could've been bad! It could have led to an international war! I can't believe I slipped up like that._ But it was a little strange. There were only around four guards at the gate, and then two at Tsunade's office. Surely the infamous Konoha had better security than this? She straightened up. Of course, it had all been Tsunade's plan. She had a team of highly skilled ANBU members working to protect her safety. They probably saw Mai from miles away, and reported back, and Tsunade then allowed Mai to roam freely. _But why would she do that?_ Mai shrugged. Tsunade was weird that way.

* * *

**Mai: **okay! okay. fine. You own me. **_(Sulks)_**

**Me: ** Ha! told you so. Anyway. Did you guys like that? Please feel free to review so you can help me pick out mistakes... they REALLY bug me. And and and... Suggest pairings! I'm wavering between a few guys... But no lesbian pairing please, lol. If you really want, I can put some mild mild mild yaoi in later, but thats waaaaaay ahead.

**Mai: **Yeah. Don't Naruto and Sai not just go together? Do you see it??? Do you see it???

**Me: **Right. If you say so. Erm. See ya next time!

xoxox


	2. Meeting the Great Hokage

**Me: **Hello, once again, my dear reader.

**Mai: **Hullo. Now, you might be wondering why it doesn't really follow on smoothly as chapters normally do, and thats because xDreamaddictx decided to split one huge chapter she originally wrote into-

**Me: **Thank you, Mai. _**(glare) **_I tactically decided to split up the chapter I wrote. The original was like nine pages... I thought it would be easier to read like this- so I made three chapters instead.

**Mai: **Yeah... She can't do anything right without me. I'm sorry. _**(smiles apologetically to reader)**_

**Me: **Ignore her. I totally knew that I was doing. This next chap continues on from the last. Have fun.

**Mai: _(SIGH)_** You totally forgot again. xDreamaddictx does not own Naruto, but she would like to very much.

**Me: _(lol) _**You said it, Mai. I own Mai, tho.

* * *

Deciding not to over-think the whole 'what-is-Tsunade-thinking' issue, Mai snapped her fingers, and the chakra hair band disappeared. She needed to look presentable, after all. Mai slowly opened the door, and slipped inside, standing just beside Tsunade, who was slightly bent over in the other direction. She was trying to hide the sake she was drinking, but it really wasn't working, as after every loud slurp she would either sigh or burp contentedly. 

Then Mai sent chakra threads to various corners of the room, just in case Tsunade decided to attack her. And, of course, she carefully wrapped some loosely around her feet, ready to be tightened or loosed at the twitch of a finger. Then she leaned forward, practically touching Tsunade's blonde hair, and said. 'Hello.' Tsunade eyes widened in shock. Her head snapped around, and she almost dropped her precious sake, only to put it back in the drawer of her desk carefully.

'Who are you?' She demanded harshly.

'My name is Kimiko Mai. I was sent by Gaara, Kazekage of the Hidden Village of Sand.' She said bowing slightly, yet keeping her eyes on Tsunade.

'How did you get in?' She enquired.

'Well I assumed you knew I was coming, as the security was so poor. It was insanely easy to sneak past everyone.' Said Mai, beaming, and walking around to the front of the desk.

'Yes, yes. Of course. But I wasn't told why you are here, or what the agreement was, or anything.' She said.

Mai nodded. 'To tell you the truth, Tsunade, I don't quite know myself. Gaara-san sent me here, and told me to assist you in any way possible, and that it would also benefit me, as I would get more experience in the world. He said that Kankuro-san and Temari-san would also come, if they were needed. But by no means must you put us in the same team. I'm quite willing to swap with someone, anyone. I mean, our fighting styles don't exactly agree, and I'd gladly experience working with someone new-

'What? Wait! You mean to say that Gaara offered two of his best ninja to come?'

Mai gave a little cough. 'You mean three, of course.'

'You?' She laughed. 'You don't look like you can be of any use!'

Mai's jaw dropped open. 'Actually, I think you will find that I am a pro at chakra manipulation. How dare you judge me without even knowing what I'm capable of? And I got past your security, didn't I? I suggest that you put me into a team with excellent ninja, ones as highly skilled as myself...'

'Do you have a message of some kind from the Kazekage? I'll have to send you back if you don't.' Tsunade replied, slightly bemused.

'Uhm… Yeah. Course I do. Somewhere…' Said Mai, rummaging through her bag. 'Ah! Here it is!' She whipped it out, and used a chakra thread to place it neatly in front of Tsunade on the desk. It would be waaaay to much bother to actually do it herself. Tsunade looked at her, but her face was unreadable. She looked slightly repulsed- yet amused, if that makes any sense. Then she stared at the scroll.

The scroll didn't look like anything out of the ordinary, but it had the Kazekage seal on it. Obviously meaning that it contained classified information. That's something else that Mai didn't quite understand. Why would Gaara put something secret in a letter that was just meant to describe the situation? That would explain why she was sent ahead of the others, and why it was so urgent that she wasn't even given time to rest. It kinda bothered her, actually. She thought that he could tell her anything and everything… But it seems that there were matters that had to remain between the five kage's.

As Tsunade read the scroll, the furrows on her brow deepened. By the end of it, she had a strange look on her face, almost as though she had been told two very important things at the same time. Like 'You've just won a lifetime supply of sake!' and 'You only have two weeks to live!' Kinda lopsided… Almost as though a cramp had firmly taken control of the right side of her face.

'Mai, was it? Please send a message back to the Kazekage, and tell him that I understand the situation. Also tell him that there is no need for Temari and Kankuro, I have a few ideal candidates for the position of your team team. You will be living in Konoha, and be considered as a resident until further notice. You will be living in a building of jounin flats, because most chuunin have their own flats… And we simply don't have the space. SHIZUNE!!!!' Tsunade suddenly yelled, revealing that she still had some breath left after that incredibly rushed speech.

Shizune burst through the door, holding stacks of paper in each hand, which she plonked down on the desk, with a 'I'm so glad you finished the other piles already… at this pace I'm sure you'll be able to catch up in the next four months-'

Tsunade gave her a disgusted look and snarled: 'You're annoying! I'm calling you because of this!' pointing her finger at Mai. 'We need to allocate her to a team, and so on and so fourth!'

* * *

**Me: **How did you like that? _**(looks over chapter) **_I guess it's just like info mainly... The next chap is so much better. 

**Mai: _(slaps forehead) _**What the hell are you doing? You can't openly admit that you wrote a crap chapter!

**Me: **That's not what I said! I just mean that... It had to be done. Anyway, they have they're own opinions, which they will voice in their reviews. Right, guys?

xoxox


	3. Insults and Home Sweet Home

**Me: **I don't own Naruto.

**Mai: **What are you doing? You need to open with a greeting, not a disclaimer!

**Me:** But you always tell me I forget! This way I won't.

**Mai: **_**(sigh) **_Fine. In this next chapter, a little something is revealed near the end... I hope you like it.

**Me: _(nod) _**Yep. I also apologise for the language in some parts, but it had to be done. They do have it inNaruto, after all. Right?

**Mai: **Have a fun read!

* * *

Suddenly, the door to Tsunade's office burst open once again to reveal a furious blond guy, wearing an almost neon orange and black jumpsuit. 'Tsunade baa-san! What the hell was you thinking when you decided to put this guy into team Kakashi until Sasuke comes back??? He's so goddam annoying! You've gotta find someone else! I can't stand him!' 

A guy in a ridiculous black tank top, emo haircut and pale skin stepped in just behind the first guy. 'I won't be spoken to like that by a boy who fell down the stairs twice on the way here. You didn't even have anything to trip over except your fat head. I take back what I said last time. You don't have a dick.' He stated in a cold, monotonous voice, before turning to Mai who was staring at them both with a smirk on her face.

'SHUT UP! IM DEALING WITH SOMETHING RIGHT NOW! LEARN TO KNOCK YOU FOOLS!' Yelled Tsunade, jumping to her feet, and making Mai twitch a finger to loosen the loop around feet.

'Hey. You must be Naruto-san.' Said Mai, taking a confident step forward and grabbing the blond boy's hand, which she shook energetically. Tsunade blinked. 'Gaara-san has told me so much about you. But you…' She continued, turning to tank-top-guy and narrowing her eyes suspiciously, 'I don't know you.'

'I don't answer bitches that don't know their place.' He replied in the same tone, but then smiled sweetly, as though he had just complimented her.

Mai smiled back. 'I do believe that you will soon be choking on your own words, transvestite-san.' With a twitch of a finger she sent a chakra thread around his neck.

At the exact same moment, a girl with pink hair, wearing a medical ninja outfit appeared at the door, obviously out of breath. Right behind her came a man wearing a mask over half of his face, with white hair, looking slightly sheepish.

'Heyyy Sakura-san, Kakashi-san. My name is Mai Kimiko!' Said Mai, with a small bow. _The girl must be Tsunade-sama's apprentice, if you could call her that. She saved Kankuro once, from Sasori's deadly poison. Mai heard that she also packs quite a punch… better stay on her good side, then. The man was… a total god. Insanely good ninja, was in ANBU once, has a sharingan eye, reads porn a lot, and very hot in that mysterious-protective-friendly sort of way. He's the loyal type, and once he trusts you its quite hard to lose that trust, so there should be no problems there._

'NOW THEN! Since everyone's here, let me introduce Mai Kimiko. She is a top ninja from the hidden village of Sand, and she has been sent here on the Kazekage's orders.' Said Tsunade, trying to enlighten the puzzled faces of the three, and the smiling face of Sai.

'Gaara-san sent her? But… Why?' asked Naruto, voicing the question that was on everyone's mind.

Tsunade replied, 'It has come to his attention that Konoha is going all out… and as his thanks for taking such an active part in retrieving him, he decided to send Mai to help find Sasuke, as he obviously couldn't come himself as he has so much obligations. I'd just like to say that the Kazekage has absolute faith and trust in Mai, and she is representing both the Sand, and the Kazekage during the time of her co-operation with us.'

Hmmm…. Absolute faith and trust? That's probably the first time she heard of this opinion Gaara held of her. He wasn't exactly the type that got things off his chest easily. Unlike Mai. She's been called cruel, harsh, and 'not one to mince her words'… but that didn't bother her. She hated lying, but acting was a different story, that's what made her an excellent spy. She could do anything the mission required, as long as she had been given a role to play, and a fake identity. Then it all became like a movie. It was actually impossible for her to mix personal life with the mission, she couldn't lie to a friend, and she couldn't make a friend while lying. It was as simple as that.

'What about a team? What team will she be in? She can be in ours! We can send Sai back. Has she got a team? Coz if she hasn't She can be in ours! Please, Tsunade baa-san! PLEASEEEE!' Said Naruto, jumping up and down around Tsunade, poking and pleading.

'SHUT UP NARUTO!!' She… replied. 'Actually, that's a problem. Even if we get Kankuro and Temari, we still don't have a team captain leader person. Which is why, I am putting Mai on team Kakashi-'

'YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!! IN YOUR FACE YOU STUPID TRANSVESTITE!' yelled Naruto, pointing his finger at Sai's face.

'HOWEVER' Screamed Tsunade over Naruto's yells of triumph 'Sai will not be the one leaving. Sai, Naruto and Mai will be the new foundation of the team-'

'WHAT????' Roared Naruto, Mai and Sakura. 'But… what about Sakura-san? Why cant you just get rid of Sai?' Asked Naruto, after Sakura and Mai returned to maintaining composure.

'AS I WAS SAYING. Sai, Naruto and Mai will form the new team, while Sakura will go as a medical ninja. I cannot 'get rid' of Sai, because I basically have no choice. I mean… because Sai is the best ninja out of all of you. Sakura- you have a new role to fill. You will be an observer until you or Kakashi judge there is a need to step in. You must not allow yourself to be caught by the enemy more than these guys, because you are the one that will heal them after combat. Basically, you're back up and medic.' Explained Tsunade.

Sakura snapped her mouth shut, as it had been hanging open for a while now. 'As you wish, Tsunade-sama.' She choked, eyes still wide.

Kakashi breathed a heavy sigh, making Tsunade turn her attention onto him now. 'You don't mind this, do you? Now then these are her apartment keys. Please take her up to where she should live.' Said Tsunade, dropping a set of keys into Kakashi's hand.

'Alright team! That will be all for today. You will be training until further notice- make sure you concentrate on your general group dynamics and teamwork. Team Gai have been sent to further explore the region where Orochimaru's next location is predicted to be. We will await their information, and when they get back I will arrange for this team as well as two other teams to attack. We have about a month. I will ask the team leaders to attend brief meetings to analyse any information gained at sunset every day. Get out already.' Instructed Tsunade, massaging her temple with one hand, and reaching for her bottle of sake with the other.

Mai glanced at the others. Sai was already out of the door with Kakashi following behind him. Sakura smiled briefly at Mai, who smiled back, and then left after Kakashi.

'Ehhhh… So Gaara-san sent you to help us?' Said Naruto, as he stood by the door waiting for Mai to pass first.

'Yeah. Gaara-san told me a lot about you. I think he actually admires you, Naruto-kun.' Explained Mai as they walked down the stairs.

'Ooooh, really? Well that's probably because I'm gonna be the greatest ever Hokage. And… Gaara is the same as me… We understand each other.' He smiled with a distant painful look in his eye before continuing, 'I think I'll head back now. It's getting quite late and I still haven't eaten. See ya!' Naruto yelled over his shoulder, as he was already sprinting down the road.

Mai turned to Sakura, who looked at Mai pensively, and said, 'Mai? It was great to meet you. I need to head off now, but can I meet you at the training grounds at sunrise?' But before Mai got a chance to answer, Sakura too headed off.

Mai stared at Sakura's back, which was disappearing after Naruto into the distance, wondering what on earth that was about. Suddenly she felt a hand grasp her shoulder, and she spun around to find Kakashi standing right behind her. He smiled at her, and his eye portrayed interest and curiosity. The other was obviously hidden by his slanted headband.

'Shall we head home, Mai?' He asked, steering her in the opposite direction than that the others ran to.

'Well… sure. But… why didn't they want to stay and talk to me? Don't they like me?' Asked Mai, tears brimming her eyes, as she sniffed worriedly.

'Of course they like you! They ran in the direction Sai disappeared to… I don't think he's safe right now.' Explained Kakashi, with a little awkward chuckle. 'But I'm off duty now. Let them all kill each other. That will make life so much easier.' He took out the_**Make-Out Tactics**_ porn book, which settled in his hand and completed the image. _He looked so lost without it _thought Mai, the corners of her mouth turning upwards.

Mai laughed, and continued to walk down the dark path with Kakashi. They passed the hot springs, which were especially lively at this time of night, with people taking their evening baths. The path branched off, creating a turn to the right. Straight ahead 'Ichiraku's Ramen' was visible, the lanterns hanging around it brightly lighting the small hut. _So this is the famous ramen place… I should remember to drop by here from time to time. _She thought.

'This way.' Said Kakashi, snapping her out of her musings and turning right. A building came into view. It had a little balcony on the first floor, but there was only a ground floor and a first floor. It had a little front garden, but that was more of a work of art than a garden. In the middle was a little pond, with a bench to the side.

'Wow! It's beautiful here!' exclaimed Mai, as she looked around; wide-eyed and gasping at everything she saw.

'I guess it's not too bad…' He glanced at the tag attached to the keys in his hand. 'You have flat number 6.' Mai gave him a puzzled look.

They walked to the house, and Kakashi dangled the gold key in Mai's face. 'This key opens this door. You room will be on the top floor. The silver key opens your door. I think I'll go check on Sai and the others… Listen, we're starting training at dawn on the training grounds near the main gate. You can see it from the main road. You'll be all right. Make sure you're not late and… see you there.' He said, dumping keys into Mai's hand. He turned around, took a step forward, and with a careless wave at Mai, he disappeared into thin air.

Mai sighed, and turned around to open the door. She slid the key into the lock, and turned it. There was a heavy click, and the door swung open slowly on its hinges. If the building looked good on the outside, the inside was just unbelievable. It looked like there were millions of cleaners employed to make each inch of wood shine. There were candles scattered in this hallway as it was already pitch black outside, but the surfaces of all the furniture and flooring still glistened in the flickering light.

There was a tidy old bookcase on the left, but on the right a huge polished wooden staircase stretched up to the next floor, dominating the scene. In awe, Mai proceeded in walking up these stairs, feeling the beautifully carved banister. In a matter of what seemed like seconds, she was already on the top floor. Climbing these stairs was more of a pleasure than a chore.

She looked around. _It seems that all of this is mine…_ She gasped in awe, turning to the door with a '6' etched into it. She clicked the door to her room open, and stepped inside into darkness. She rummaged in her bag, and found some matches, and carefully lit one. It illuminated her room in a warm glow, and she could make out a bed by a window, and doors to the side of it. She also saw that there was a cupboard with a candlestick to her left, which she hastily lit, as the match was almost burning her fingers.

She put the candlestick down on the bedside table and sat down on her new bed. She emptied the contents of her bag and, counting all the kunai's and shuriken, she put them back in, one by one. All that was left on the bed was a folded up piece of tatty paper, matches and a tiny clay pot. She put the matches and pot back in her bag, and took the piece of paper into her left hand. She snapped her fingers, and the chakra thread which was so tiny that it was invisibly weaved down the sides of the paper disappeared, and the paper unfolded.

But it wasn't paper. It was a photograph. Sitting on the floor were two kids, one; a boy with short red hair and bright emerald eyes, and the other; a girl with two red plaits and deep brown eyes. Behind them stood a woman with black hair, smiling peacefully and wearing a light blue dress, as the wind picked up some sand and blew it across the background. Mai sighed, and whispered the names of the two most important people to her in the whole world, and folded up the paper again, pinching and running her fingers along the side.

She put the photo back into her bag and flopped back on the bed, a huge wave of tiredness suddenly rushing over her.

* * *

**Me: **Ooooh! I can't wait to start writing the parts when Mai starts fighting! I've just thought up something awesome! 

**Mai: **What? Tell me! You can't make me weak. If you do, I'll kill you.

**Me: _(scared) _**Uhm. You're not gonna be weak. I hope. I don't really know if I can write like battle scenes properly.

**Mai: _(threatens with fist) _**You better. Or else.

**Me: _(awkward cough) _**Erm. Right. Guys! You've gotta review. I need help and tips. It IS my first fanfic, after all..

**Mai: **Or else.

**Me: **_**(whispers) **_Shut up, Mai! you can't threaten readers! You're a figment of my imagination. You can't even hurt them.

**Mai: **I'm a real girl!

**Me: O.o?** wtffffffffff

**Mai: **Read the next chap to see me in action, training hard!

xoxox


End file.
